Camera NIKON D810, lens Nikon AF-Micro-NIKKOR 200mm f/4D IF-ED Macro; settings: f/13, speed 1/250, ISO 1250.
Photo by Dr Nicholas Hellmuth
Ciricote, Cordia dodecandra, is a tree found in many areas of Peten and elsewhere in Guatemala (and Mexico, Belize, Honduras, etc.). I have been familiar with ciricote for many decades since its flowers are very photogenic. It blooms in March and April (and other months depending on the climate that particular year).
I call the tree ciricote; gringo botanists tend to spell it siricote; lumber companies spell it ziricote. The species I know best in Guatemala is Cordia dodecandra but many more species exist in Mesoamerica.
In Parque Nacional Yaxha Nakum Naranjo we have found ciricote along the Rio Ixtinto, along the road between Yaxha and Nakum, and next to the camp buildings at Nakum. The Naranjo area should also have plenty of ciricote trees also. The last week of March (2019) I noticed several ciricote trees while hiking through the park.
We will be creating a web page shortly, dedicated to documenting all the uses of different parts of the Cordia dodecandra tree. The Cordia dodecandra tree has the added benefit that if you plant it as a future lumber tree you have fresh fruit every year as the ciricote tree grows. We (FLAAR) know of many properties in Peten where a tree nursery could be started and properties which could be reforested. The nice aspect is this part of Mesoamerica is an original home for the Cordia dodecandra tree, so it is already happy with the climate and soils here.
Since we found several ciricote trees in full bloom during late March every day while in Parque Nacional Yaxha Nakum Naranjo, we would like to show the pretty flowers.
April 3, 2019
